


Who Knows When

by endofunctor



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Gen, Iambic Heptameter, Poetry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-10-12
Updated: 2011-10-12
Packaged: 2017-10-24 13:04:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 541
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/263808
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/endofunctor/pseuds/endofunctor
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dave has a little downtime in the Veil, so he goes off to be by himself. But when you're by yourself, that means you have nothing to distract you from your thoughts.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Who Knows When

The knight’s in some forgotten room, unknown to all but him  
He’s mixing old forgotten raps, a quiet rhythmic hymn  
To better feel the beats, his eyes are closed, his shades opaque  
He’s trying not to think about how much of him is fake  
With syllable and metric rhyme he builds up his own space  
But then he stumbles in his step, a note goes out of place  
The entire edifice comes down around his headphoned ears  
With nothing left to come behind the knight and his worst fears  
A shadow, fifteen stories tall, with shades and baseball cap  
Attacking with both slash and rhyme, a mix of steel and rap  
The first he dodges to the side, the rap he tries to hush  
There’s nothing Dave can do but run, his sword is crimson plush

He can’t beat this fraternal ghost with just his voice alone  
Off in the distant Houston heat he sees a sword in stone  
From roof to roof the coolkid sprints, avoiding massive swings  
While Bro’s hashraps launch puppet ass, dead crows and other things  
But when he grasps the sword, alas, he cannot break it free  
The crimson-handled blade, he finds, is stubborn as can be  
Upon its silver hilt he reads yo check it knight of time  
as long as i in shadow rest, i never will be thine  
And though he plants his foot upon the pommel and kicks off  
The shadow pins it down, the sword’s reply a subtle scoff  
i told you dave i told you bout the terms of my release  
now free me from the shadow or let me rest fore’er in peace

He stares up at the giant shade, he summons his esprit  
And with his arms extended wide, delivers repartee  
i know that i may never be a swordsman like my bro  
i know this game didnt plan my role to be hero  
but even paradox time’s tyrrany will find its end  
and even without godhood i will still always defend  
my friends john jade and even rose against the darkness grim  
my bro is dead hes gone away i know that youre not him  
and even if you were it doesnt matter what you think  
And at that declaration does the beast finish its shrink  
It’s no larger than he is now, and with the blade in hand  
He slices quick, and with a kick, the ghost fades into sand

And where the titan Bro once stood a phantom Cal now floats  
Held standing by a human shade, devoid of all its boasts  
There’s nothing more to say to the dead conoisseur of rump  
Instead he simply raises fist and gives a little *bunp*  
And he too fades, as does the sword, and all the world around  
The world itself is slowing down, as if a clock unwound  
And then Dave’s eyes open once more, returning to the Veil  
Only to find a plushy hind attached to mate of scale  
H3Y COOLK1D comes the sharpened voice WH4T W3R3 YOU DOING H3R3  
And he replies oh nothing much to gray-skinned alien seer  
She takes his arm in hers and leads him off to parts unknown  
But wherever he may go, he knows he’s come into his own

**Author's Note:**

> This was originally a Dave/Terezi piece inspired by [this](http://m-azing.tumblr.com/post/11333805530/angerliz-roachpatrol-finished), but halfway through I decided to just make it about Dave.
> 
> The title is a (non-spoilery!) reference to [Bastion](http://supergiantgames.com/?page_id=242), which is an absolutely superb game that's well worth it if you like games with actual plot to them (and I say that as someone who normally doesn't actually care too much about plot).


End file.
